"My big a** foot stepped on the line": Kevin Durant once blamed his 18-inch foot size for Nets' heartbreaking 2021 playoffs exit

Kevin Durant's run with the Brooklyn Nets will mostly be remembered as being a disaster for the team. The team never really reached its full potential but for a while, it looked like they had a chance to win it all.

The closest that Durant and the Nets got to the NBA Finals was in 2021. They finished the regular season with a 48-28 record to secure the second seed in the playoffs.

They faced off against the 7th-seed Boston Celtics in the first round whom they beat in five games to advance to the Conference Semifinals to take on the Milwaukee Bucks. After Kyrie Irving's injury, the series reached game seven and would come down to the wire. For a brief moment, it felt like Kevin Durant did it and has led the Nets to the Conference Finals.

With only six seconds left in the game, the Brooklyn Nets who were down by two passed the ball to KD who immediately put the moves on PJ Tucker. With only a second left on the clock, KD launched a long turnaround jump shot over his defender which found the bottom of the net to tie the game at 109 apiece.

The shot counted for two but it looked like KD was going for a three-pointer. The officials reviewed the shot but determined that Durant's toe was on the line, meaning that the original decision to only count it as a two-pointer stood and the game went into overtime where they lost and got eliminated from playoffs.

Kevin Durant thought that his shot at the end of regulation was a three as he told Malika Andrews of ESPN.

"But my big a** foot stepped on the line," Durant added to his statement, "I just saw how close I was to ending their season with that shot."

Unfortunately for the Nets and Durant, who wears size 18 shoes, the edge of his sneaker was just above the three-point line and while his clutch shot did give his team another chance, they were unable to get it done in overtime.

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A quick look at Kevin Durant's time with the Brooklyn Nets

Last season, Kevin Durant was traded to the Phoenix Suns after he demanded it. The trade package sent Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder, and several picks.

The trade put an end to one of the most tumultuous times in Nets history. Initially, the team was viewed with great optimism as Kevin Durant joined them in the 2019 free agency after the team had already signed Kyrie Irving.

The duo was expected to accomplish great things together and the expectations for them only rose as James Harden was also added into the mix in 2021 in a three-team trade that also involved the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Houston Rockets.

Unfortunately, the trio would only play a total of sixteen games together as they dealt with numerous issues including injuries. In the end, all three superstars were traded, with Kyrie heading to the Dallas Mavericks and James Harden heading to the Philadelphia 76ers.